Ryan records to be unsealed

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Dealing a blow to the U.S. Senate candidacy of Republican Jack Ryan, a California judge ruled that several divorce records likely to embarrass the candidate and his ex-wife should be opened to the public.

Ruling on a request brought by attorneys for the Tribune and WLS-TV, Superior Court Judge Robert Schnider acknowledged that the resulting publicity from the disclosure would be harmful to the couple's son, a key argument Ryan had raised in seeking to keep the documents from public view.

But Schnider said he had weighed the public interest of disclosure against the private interests of Ryan and his ex-wife, actress Jeri Ryan, and their child. "In the end," Schnider found, "the balance tips slightly to the public."

Schnider ruled that allegations the Ryans made against each other in their 1999 divorce would be released, though documents directly pertaining to the welfare of their 9-year-old son would remain under seal. He acknowledged that in approving the release of the documents, "the nature of publicity generated will become known to the child and have a deleterious effect on the child."

The judge did not elaborate on the nature of the allegations.

The case files are to be publicly released on June 29, Schnider ruled. Attorneys for Ryan and for his former wife said they had to consult with their clients before commenting on whether they would appeal.

In a statement issued late Thursday, Ryan said, "Nothing is more important to me than our son. Jeri Lynn and I are weighing our options--with our son's best interests, and only our son's best interests, in mind."

In recent days, Ryan had begun warning leading Republicans that he expected embarrassing information about him would be contained in documents that the judge ordered released, sources said.